Measuring Tapes, Wedding Dresses, and Mall Security Systems
by Rosewood17
Summary: A light-hearted AU (no zombies) in which Beth and Daryl managed to get themselves trapped overnight in a store full of wedding dresses. Hilarity and fluff ensue. Written for a prompt for the Bethyl Moonshine Café writer's group!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi friends! If you read my other stories, you're probably thinking, "Hey! She should be working on Better Days! Not starting a new project!" And while you're probably right - I just couldn't leave this one alone! I'm part of a Bethyl writing group on Facebook, and our group got the prompt to have our favorite couple trapped in a wedding dress shop overnight. I used to work in the bridal industry and just couldn't refuse! So, this will be short, sweet, and fluffy - probably just 5-6 chapters and (hopefully) each one out in 1-2 days. All the chapters will be about 1,000 words and will end with a cliffhanger!**

 **It's AU, it's a little zanier and fluffier than usual, and it's making me smile! I hope it makes you smile too!**

 **Enjoy!**

Beth tried to ignore the aching in her shoulders as she wrestled to get all 112 inches of a cathedral train back into its zippered bag. The bride who had just left had insisted on trying on twenty-two dresses. _Twenty-two!_ And the impossible woman still hadn't decided on one.

The Saturday shift was the busiest and worst day to be working at Andrea's Bridal Couture, but Beth was grateful for the extra money. She'd be even more grateful when the clock hit 6:00 and she could close up. Only 28 minutes to go.

She was tempted to turn the sign over to "closed" early, so that no one else would come in, but she knew that if any of the other mall managers noticed, they'd tell Andrea. Most days she wouldn't have minded staying late, but it felt like there were a million things that she had to do in the next week.

Her big sister Maggie was getting married next Saturday, and as the maid of honor, Beth's schedule was packed. This was her final day of work (aside from coming in tomorrow for Maggie's final fitting) until after the wedding, and she couldn't wait for the break.

As she was putting the final dress back in it's retail spot, she noticed movement at the counter. She couldn't make the customer out clearly, but she tried her best to stifle a sigh. If this woman wanted to start trying on dresses with less than half an hour til closing, she was going to scream.

She turned and headed for the counter and realized that it wasn't a woman at all. It was Daryl Dixon. She stopped short as she took in the low-slung jeans, sleeveless shirt, and overlong hair that couldn't possibly belong to anyone else. She only knew him a little - he was one of the groomsmen in Maggie and Glenn's wedding - but, Lord have mercy, there was no mistaking a man that sinfully handsome.

All she really knew about Daryl was that he was a mechanic in the same car dealership that Glenn worked for. He didn't say much, and Beth was never quite sure how to talk to him. She wondered what in the world he could possibly be doing here.

"Hey," she said brightly, attempting to cover her nerves "What's goin' on, Daryl?"

He turned to look at her, hands crammed awkwardly in his pockets. He couldn't have looked more out of place if he tried.

"Beth," he said, voice betraying no emotion, "didn't know you worked here."

She conjured a weary smile.

"Gotta do somethin' to keep the bills paid while I'm in school," she admitted sheepishly.

"Mmm," he offered, noncommittally.

"So, what can I help you with?"

"S'where Glenn told me to come get fitted for my suit," he grumbled, pronouncing the word 'suit' like it was dirty word.

Beth felt instantly stupider. Of course that was why he was here. Andrea's did tuxedo rentals also, and it had only made sense to do it all through the same place. For a fleeting second, she thought he was here specifically looking for her. It surprised her a little to admit that the idea made her pulse quicken. She brushed that thought away hurriedly - good-looking groomsman or not - she had a job to do, and Daryl certainly wasn't interested.

"Perfect," she said brightly, "I can do the measurements for you now."

She retrieved an order form and a tape measure from behind the front counter and turned back to face Daryl.

"Measurements?" he questioned,"I can't just tell you my size?"

""Unfortunately not," Beth admitted, "the tuxes come in a range of sizes that aren't like the regular ones in the stores, so we need to get exact measurements."

His facial expression said that he'd rather walk into traffic than have to deal with all of this.

"Look on the bright side," she quipped, trying to lighten his mood, "At least you can get him back when you get married"

"Huh?"

"You know," she continued, "If you have him as a groomsman in your wedding, you can make him jump through all the hoops."

Daryl snorted derisively and made a low comment that sounded something like "when hell freezes over."

"I'm definitely doing that to Maggie," Beth said with a touch of sarcasm, "Could you hold your arms out to the sides?"

Daryl stretched his arms out into a tee, and looked at her with confusion.

"You don't like your dress?" he asked.

"It's fine," she conceded, all the while stretching the tape measure from his elbow to his wrist, "Just not what I would have picked."

"Yeah?" he inquired; and it occurred to her briefly that she'd never had this much of conversation with Daryl in the few weeks that she'd known him.

"Yeah, Maggie's a little more into the details than I am," she confessed, "the color's real pretty - I like the shade of green, but it's just a little too poofy for me. I like simpler stuff."

"That makes two of us," Daryl said wryly.

Beth smiled and moved around to his front so that she could wrap the tape measure around his chest. He was very accommodating with her measuring. Some men would fidget and fuss and it was nearly impossible to get the correct numbers. Daryl stood as still as a statue, and she was grateful for it.

"I have to get all up close and personal for this next one," she warned, kneeling on the ground in front of him, "inseam runs from the top of your inner thigh to the top of your shoe."

She glanced up to gauge his reaction - this is where most men would either blush or make a sleazy comment - and tried not to let her breath catch at his expression. He hadn't moved a muscle, and his blue eyes had darkened considerably. It must have just been because he was uncomfortable, she decided, and did the necessary measurement quickly.

She popped to her feet a little too quickly and busied herself with the order sheet until the color faded from her face.

"It'll be seventy-nine oh-three," she announced, taking his offered credit card and glancing at the clock.

5:49. Eleven more minutes.

"So, have you ever been to this restaurant that we're supposed to go to for the rehearsal dinner," he asked suddenly, and she was grateful for a change of subject.

"Only once," she replied, "I think it was after Maggie's gradua-"

She was cut off abruptly and decisively when the sliding metal emergency door crashed down over the entrance to the shop and the lights cut off, leaving them in a wash of darkness.

 **What do you think is going on? Love and reviews appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! Yay for quick chapter updates! I know that the cliffhangers are frustrating, but that's what makes silly little stories like this fun!**

 **I hope your enjoy - I'm just smiling the whole time I write these!**

Fighting the urge to drop to the floor and take cover, Daryl fished through his pockets until he found his lighter. To her credit, Maggie's little sister hadn't screamed yet, but he was sure she couldn't see any better than her could.

He fumbled a little getting the top open, but finally managed to strike and hold enough of a flame to barely make out the girl on the other side of the counter.

"What the hell just happened," Beth asked in a hushed voice.

"Dunno," he replied, "ever happened before?"

 **"** No **,"** she replied, and then, "could you bring that back here? There's a flashlight in this bottom drawer somewhere."

Daryl circled the counter and tried to simultaneously keep out of her personal space and hold the lighter close enough for her to see. In the faint light her damn eyes looked even bigger, and he couldn't shake the image of her looking up at him from kneeling on the floor. He cursed himself for being a dirty old bastard and did his best to wipe the memory from his mind.

She uncovered the flashlight and clicked it on, illuminating the immediate vicinity a little bit better. He watched as she walked to the door, covered totally by the metal emergency slider and banged on it a few time.

"Hello!" she cried, "Is there anyone out there."

They both paused to listen and no reply came.

"I'm so sorry, Daryl" she apologized, "I have no idea what's happening."

Before he got a chance to respond she was dialing something on her phone. With nothin else to do, he watched her as she did it.

"Hi, Andrea," she said once whoever it was she was calling picked up, "Do you know what's going on at the mall? I was just finishing up a transaction when the lights went out and the emergency door closed. I'm stuck in here with a customer."

He tried to gauge her reaction as she listened to Andrea's response and took no comfort in the fact that those baby blues just got wider and wider.

"But, there's no way I could have checked email today," she was saying, "we were slammed and I've been the only one here since three."

Another pause.

"So, what do we _do?"_ she asked, voice starting to get a little desperate, "we can't just spend the night in here."

Oh damn skippy, they weren't spending the night. Daryl would tunnel his way out with a spoon before he spent the night in here.

He pulled his own phone out of his pocket and dialed Rick. If anyone would know what to do, it would be him.

"King County Sheriff's Office," the receptionists voice said when his call connected.

"Deputy Grimes, please."

"He's out of the office, sir" the reply came, "I'll forward you to his cell.

After waiting through another round of rings, he was relieved when Rick answered.

"Grimes."

"Rick, s'Daryl, you gotta minute?"

"Yeah, I'm camped in the parking lot of the mall all night," Rick replied, "Ain't got nothin' else to do."

"You're at the mall?" Daryl asked, relief flooding his whole body.

"Yeah, I have to babysit the computer genius who's rewiring the security system tonight," came the casual answer, "What's up?"

"I'm stuck in the mall," Daryl said, trying not to let his tone indicate his rising discomfort.

"Why the hell are you in the mall?" Rick asked.

"Had to get fitted for a suit for Glenn's wedding," he hastily explained, "anyhow, I was cashing out and it went dark and the door slammed shut. I'm trapped in here with Beth Greene."

"The whole mall's on lockdown for twelve house," Rick explained, "Everything has to be locked up tight while this guy does his thing. I was told that all the store owners were notified and told to leave fifteen minutes earlier than they usually do."

"Well, the damn dress shop didn't get the memo," Daryl snapped, "can't you just ask the computer guy to lift the security for long enough for us to get out?"

"Hang on," Rick said to Daryl, and then farther away, "Eugene, there are a couple people still in the mall, what can we do to get them out?"

Daryl waited with bated breath and looked over to see that Beth was watching him, having finished with her conversation.

"Daryl?" Rick confirmed that he was still there, "I hate to tell you this, but apparently this is one of those can't-be-stopped-once-it's-started things. This guy says that aside from rewriting all the computer code, which he says would take him days, there's nothing he can do to lift the safety door locks until 6:00 a.m."

Daryl was silent and fuming. How in the hell, in the 21st damn century, could this be happening.

"He says that he can turn the power back on for your store though," Rick continued sheepishly, "Did you say you were in Andrea's Bridal?"

"Yeah," Daryl ground out, resisting the urge to hurl his phone against the opposite wall.

"Sorry, man," Rick said with finality.

"Ain't your fault," Daryl managed before clicking the phone off.

Beth was looking at him appraisingly as he hung up.

"So, my boss says we're stuck til six in the morning," she said, her tone defeated.

"Rick Grimes says the same," he sighed, realizing that pitching a fit wouldn't solve anything, "they're gonna get us the power back though."

"Well that's something," Beth replied awkwardly, "there's some stuff in the fridge that we can probably scavenge for dinner."

"Nothin' else to do, right?" Daryl said, trying and failing to match her optimism.

She smiled nonetheless, and he felt it shoot all the way to the center of his gut. Damn, this girl was pretty. Aside from the fact that she was Maggie's little sister and that she was going to school to be a nurse, he didn't know much about her. Glenn had said that the two of them would be walking together for the wedding - maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

"What kind of food do you reckon there is?" he asked, realizing that it had been a solid couple of hours since his peanut butter and jelly.

"Hmmm, there's probably a Ramen noodle or two," she mused, "Some crackers, maybe some leftovers?"

And then suddenly, as if she had just been graced with the world's most brilliant idea, Beth's whole face lit up.

"What?" he asked, wondering if she'd remembered some secret entrance that would get them out of this.

"There's also four bottles of champagne."

He supposed that would do as well.

 **Reviews are as much fun as finding the champagne during an emergency!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi again! I fell like this story just keeps straying more and more into the ridiculous - but I'm not gonna lie - I just love how fun it is! Thanks for the reviews, follows, and faves - You're all awesome!**

"Why the hell is there champagne?" Daryl asked as Beth turned on her heel and marched back towards the fridge.

"Andrea likes to serve it to some of the fanciest customers," she called over her shoulder, "You comin' or not?"

She glanced back to see that he was following her, and she took just a minute to wonder what in the world had gotten into her.

Beth was responsible. She was the one that Andrea always asked to stay through closing because it was widely known that she could handle the store on her own. She turned things in on time; she paid bills a week before they were due; she checked the oil in her car every time she filled it up with gas. Suggesting a highly inappropriate drink to a man she barely knew was not her style - and yet, in this moment, she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Ain't your boss gonna be pissed if we drink all her stuff?" Daryl questioned as she dug through the back of the refrigerator.

"You know," she reemerged holding the first bottle, "I really don't give a damn."

Daryl chuckled a little, and it surprised her - he was normally so quiet.

"Andrea is so busy trying to pander to the Atlanta city-slicker crowd that she can't be bothered to do things like stop in when the store is busy or inform her one Saturday afternoon employee that there's a massive schedule issue at the end of the day," Beth declared, "If she even notices that it's gone I'll be surprised."

"Well, alright then," Daryl said definitively.

"And if she does notice," Beth continued, on a roll now, "then she can just fire me. There are two other stores in the mall hiring right now, and I'm a retail badass."

With that, she cracked open the bottle in a practiced motion and filled two of the plastic glasses from the top shelf all the way to the rim.

"Bottom's up," she said, passing a glass to Daryl before taking a healthy swig out of hers.

Daryl eyed his glass warily.

"Don't usually drink fruity shit like this," he commented, although she noticed that he hadn't handed it back to her yet.

"Well, then you can be sober alone," she challenged.

He met her eyes, and she was thrilled to see a hint of something mischievous there. In barely two swallows, he had drained his glass and extended his arm for her to pour him another round. Maybe there was more fun to Daryl than Beth had previously given him credit for.

"That's the spirit," she encouraged, topping off his glass and hers, "Let's see what we can scrounge up for dinner."

She pulled the cabinets next to the fridge open and was met with the standard contents of most retail break rooms - coffee filters, various mismatching plastic cutlery, the odd package of crackers, and finally - on the very top shelf - a sad and crumbled package of chicken flavored instant noodles.

"Jackpot!" she exclaimed, already feeling the first glass of champagne hit her very empty stomach, "You like Ramen?"

Daryl made a face.

"Does anybody?" he asked.

Beth couldn't stifle her giggle.

"I mean, no, but it's that or starve."

"Ramen it is," he conceded.

Beth busied herself with filling the coffee pot with water to boil and cracking the stiff noodles into a styrofoam bowl. She glanced back at Daryl and saw that his hands had returned to his pockets.

"There's only one pack," she said, "but I found two forks."

He said nothing and continued to hover just behind her.

"Do you wanna go sit, and I'll bring it over?" she asked.

"You don't gotta serve it to me," he said sheepishly.

She smiled at him, thinking it was sweet that he didn't want her to tax herself with food that's only requirement was boiled water.

"No worries, Daryl," she said, "It's a one person job. Why don't you fill up the glasses, and I'll be there in a second."

She was relieved when he grabbed the champagne bottle and took a seat at the card table propped against the opposite wall. Beth hoped that the booze would loosen him up a little more. She had liked the hint of devilry she had seen in his eyes a moment before.

She poured the hot water over the noodles with the practiced expertise of a broke college student and carried it to the table with two forks. She handed him one, and made short work of digging into the pile of noodles with her own.

"So your boss sucks, huh?" he asked suddenly, surprising her.

"Sort of," she mused, "She's not awful, I guess, she's just more - absent."

"Mmmm," Daryl commented, mouth full of noodles.

"She's tryin' to open a second store closer to Atlanta, and she's hardly ever here anymore," she explained, "I feel like I'm managing - especially on the weekends - with no extra money."

"I had a job like that," Daryl commiserated, "Started out workin' as a mechanic at my buddy's Shane's garage, and always felt like I was doin' more work than him. S'why I moved to the Chevy dealership."

"Yeah, I'm hopin' to only have to stay here about another five months," she said.

"You're in nursin' school, right?" he asked, and then immediately cast his eyes down as if that was something he shouldn't have known.

"Yeah!" she beamed, surprised that he had remembered. As far as she knew Maggie had only mentioned that to him once.

"I want to do pediatric nursing," she forged on, hoping to give him time to dissipate the adorable blush that had crept up his neck.

"So kids, right?" he managed, slowly meeting her eyes again.

"Yep," she confirmed, "There's a children's surgical unit in Atlanta that specializes in cancer patients where I'd like to work eventually."

She beamed again when the corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile.

"I bet you'll be good," he said, staring at their bowl of noodles, "Kids'll like you."

"I hope so," she said.

Beth struggled for another conversation to start as they came to the bottom of their bowl of noodles. She smirked a little when Daryl reached to give them both more of the champagne. At this rate, she was going to start talking whether her brain agreed or not. She was a chatty drunk.

Daryl stretched back, locking his hands behind his head and it was all Beth could do not to openly stare. Lord have mercy, but that man had built arms. She took another gulp of her drink to occupy her mouth before she said something stupid.

Daryl glanced to his left and she saw him notice all the dresses that had to go out the next day for weddings. They hung on a rack back in the break room so that they could be steamed and wrapped before the customers came to pick them up. Front and center was a violently pink, frothy number that looked like it would fit in on a Vegas stage before it would a wedding.

"Is your dress for the weddin' as bad as that one," he asked with a snort.

Beth laughed outright.

"Not quite," she admitted, "It's just got -"

She made a skirt shape with her hands on account of the fact that the fuzziness in her brain wouldn't allow her to come up with the right words.

Feeling slightly emboldened by the absurdity of the situation they were in and the nearly four glasses of alcohol she'd had, Beth suddenly had a much better idea of how to make him understand.

"How 'bout I just model it for you?" she asked.

 **Hope you're enjoying this! Please let me know what you're thinking!**


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